Google's appeal denied in Epic Games case

A court ruling forces Google to change its app store policies after Epic Games' antitrust case.

Google faces setback over app store changes in Epic Games lawsuit

Google lost an appeal regarding a court order that demands significant changes to its app store following a lawsuit by Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Google's claims that the original trial judge made errors that favored Epic Games. Epic filed the lawsuit in 2020, alleging that Google stifled competition in the app market. In 2023, a jury sided with Epic, concluding that Google's practices were anti-competitive. The trial judge then ordered Google to make its Play Store more open to competitors, a requirement that was temporarily paused during the appeal process.

This ruling marks a critical point for Google as it faces challenges to its dominant market position. By forcing changes to its app store, the court seeks to level the playing field in the competitive mobile app market. This case may inspire similar actions by other developers who feel constrained by existing app store policies. Furthermore, the outcome may spark discussions about regulation in the tech industry, as larger platforms face increasing scrutiny over their market influence.

Highlights

The implications of this ruling may reshape app distribution on mobile platforms.